Nightingale
by Gothix-11
Summary: "The voice on an angel? No. She is my nightingale. An angel cannot be held in a cage as she can." King Sasuke heard her voice and fell in love. He saw her face and fell in lust. Sasuke bought her but took her from Naruto. He stole her freedom and claimed the victor. In this bargain... Sasuke is only one gaining anything by stealing it all away. SasuKoto


**One: Bought or Stolen**

It was a warm and breezy day in the middle of spring. The Cherry Blossoms were in full bloom and they sprinkled the stone roads that were crowded with merchants and customers. A pair of cousins walked along side one another down these stone streets.

"You finally got a job?!" Koto, a young human girl with eyes that sparkle, asked her cousin, Naruto.

"Yeah! I'm training people in a dojo. It's going to be a lot of fun, you know!" Naruto was young, fit boy who was always smiling. They were both 18 as of two weeks ago.

"How's your job going?" Naruto asked as he propped himself up against a shop as Koto browsed the fruits.

"It's fine. I haven't gotten the summon for the Cherry Blossom Festival yet though." Koto said sadly.

"I'm sure they'll call for you. You always sing; since we were 14." Naruto said.

"Yeah but still… this IS the first time it's been late. Face it, Naruto, I'm old news." Koto said.

"No one could ever get tired of you! You're the best singer in the whole village!"

"You're comparing me to like 200 people Naruto…"

"That's still a lot!"

"Compared to the world it's not. I'm happy for the fame I have but… I always thought I'd be bigger than I am." Koto let out a sigh.

Naruto ushered her to the middle of the stone path that was already filled with people.

"Hey everyone! Koto is going to sing for us! LIVE!" Naruto shouted at the top of his lungs.

Everything seemed to stop and all eyes fell on Koto. She scrabbled her mind for a song as she stood there in her simple yukata. It matched her cousin's almost exactly. Only hers was black while her cousin's was orange.

"Alright… first I need everyone to do this." Koto started to clap and soon everyone was doing it as well. Naruto grabbed a drum from one of the merchants and started to beat it.

"Detect my sudden existence on your sonar.

You feel the echo

Electrify the resistance in your broken heart.

And burn it up, oh

We're gonna photosynthesize and drink up the sunrise." Koto snag with a smile on her face and took a child by hand, spinning the child and making her laugh. Others crowded around her to dance too.

"So do they ever shut up because you said so or

Do you over think 'em all

Somebody ought to corrupt you on the dance floor and take you home.

Show you all the demons

Desires

And dark sides.

All our colonies and continental divides."

Koto took the hand of an elderly woman and as she sang the woman danced too. The woman's grandchild started to dance with her and a large smile spread over her wrinkled face.

"Let me uncover the silver in your dark hair

The weight of your bones.

I want to witness the beauty of your repair

The shape you've grown.

For you are made of nebulas and novas and night sky.

You're made of the memories you bury and live by."

As the bright girl sang she made everyone happy and they all cheered and smiled as she sang. But in all the focus she was getting, someone else was being ignored.

The king of the land, Sasuke Uchiha, was riding in his carriage, out to greet all his subjects. What he saw was unexpected. For several yards no one was within site until he finally heard the cheers and laughter. He ordered his men to follow the noise. He was angered by his people. No one noticed him at all and he was the king. THEIR king. He who gave them everything and ruled with an iron, yet caring fist.

He stepped out of the carriage and stopped. His face was in awe as if a ghost had run in front of his eyes. But this was no ghost. This was reality and beautiful one at that. A creature with a voice as beautiful as a nightingale stood in the middle of the crowd and like an angel she was glowing before his eyes.

Not only a lovely voice but a lovely face and body to accompany it. Sasuke made his mind up.

Once Koto had finished her ballot everyone slowly fled the crowd to carry on with their days and Naruto returned the drum.

"See? Who was right?" Naruto nudged her with his elbow. "Come on, C'mon. Who was right?" He grinned at her.

She pushed him off her but couldn't help but smile.

"You were." She said.

"They all loved you. Big or small numbers I know you just love to make people happy."

"You're right. You always are, after all. You know me better than anyone. And because you did that to me you-."

"I have to be punished." Naruto bowed and swung his arm back. "What will be my price this time, of song birdie one?"

They both laughed.

"Haha, you have to carry the groceries."

Naruto stood and Koto shoved the stuff into his arms. He chuckled and followed her down the street when they were stopped by the royal guard.

"Uh… may I help you?" Naruto asked.

"Actually yes. The king asked us to ask you how much you want for this girl." One of the decorated officers said. He had spiky white hair and you could only see one of his eyes.

At this Koto hid behind her cousin.

"How much I want…? No! Koto is not for sale!" Naruto hollered.

"Look, boy, we can either do this the easy way or the hard way. Your call, little man." The guard stepped closer.

"Maybe I wasn't clear before. She's… not… for… sale." Naruto repeated slowly.

"NARUTO!" Koto screamed as the other one picked her up and held her tight.

"Ko!" Naruto dropped the bags to grab her.

"Hard way it is." The guard slammed his fist into Naruto's face and he stumbled back.

"No! Someone! Help!" Koto cried.

"No one will go against the king's orders, girly!" The one holding her said. Koto shot her head into his chin and he fell back. She tackled the white haired one down before he could hurt Naruto anymore and they crashed into a music hut. She grabbed a metal gong and smashed it over his head before running to her cousin's side. His nose was bruised and bleeding and she didn't know what to do.

A hand grasped her shoulder and she swung around, striking the individuals cheek with her fist. She gasped and froze with fear. The king himself stood over her with wide eyes and his bruised cheek exposed to her. Her bottom lip started to tremble, trying to find words for her crime. The words to apologize. All eyes fell on her but not the happy ones they used to be.

"You pack quite a punch." He said and looked to her.

The king was a young and beautiful man with cold eyes. The eyes of a dragon, Koto thought.

Sasuke snapped his fingers the a few more guards scrambled to grab her and her cousin. Others went to help the white haired one. Naruto looked at the kind with a glare on his face.

"I'm taking this girl with or without your consent. Now I can pay you or you can fight and die." Sasuke said. Koto gasped.

"Like I'll ever do such a-!"

"Take the money." Koto cut Naruto off. All eyes fell on her.

"Take… the money." She repeated. Her eyes were serious as the emeralds stabbed Naruto in the heart.

"Ko… no…" Naruto could barely speak.

"Do it for me. I couldn't live with myself if you died over me. You have a bright future, Naruto. Think of Hinata and your dojo. All the kids that want to look up to you as we did to Father Iruka. Please… I'll be alright." A smile spread across her face and Naruto couldn't find anything to say.

The guards let her back on the ground and Naruto fell to his knees in the street. Sasuke tossed a large sack of money on the ground in front of him as he stared at the ground, dumb struck and hurt.

"You'll be alive. That's all I need to go on. Promise me you'll live for me." Koto said. She was still smiling but there were tears in her eyes. Naruto nodded and looked at her.

"I love you Koto. You'll always be my family." He said.

"I love you too!..." The tears fell down her cheeks as she was pushed into the carriage. As it drove away it suddenly began to rain. Naruto stared at the bag and before he knew it he was crying as hard as the sky was.

Koto watched from the window and it wasn't long until her hair was soaked. Sasuke grabbed her arm and lightly pulled her inside.

"You'll catch your death like that, my dear." He pulled her close and put his arm around her shoulders as he closed and locked the window.

"What are you going to do to me?" She asked without looking up.

"Well you're my little Nightingale now. You'll sing whenever I command and do as I command." Sasuke lifted her chin.

"Now give me a kiss." He ordered and moved closer.

Koto slapped him across the face, hitting the same cheek as before and jumped to the other side of the carriage. Sasuke chucked as she glared. He rubbed his cheek as he eyed her.

"You'll come around. One way or another." He said with a smirk. Koto backed as far away as possible, curling up in a corner and hiding her face in her arms. Once at the palace Koto was dragged to her "room" while Sasuke left to do some work.

She was thrown into a bedroom with a large bed and a dresser. The fact nothing else was in there made her uneasy. She walked over to a window and tried to open it but it was locked. She grabbed a lamp on the dresser and threw it at the window. Neither of them broke but she didn't give up. She continued to try to break the window, even though it was 3 stories high, she could figure something out once she got the window open.

After about 20 minutes the guard from the streets opened her door. He grabbed her arm and the lamp and threw her onto her bed.

"You haven't even been here for an hour and you're trying to get away? This is a nice palace, no one will treat you badly and you'll have a nice life here. And do you honestly think we couldn't find you? I know you'd go back to that boy and he and you would be killed." The guard said.

"What if I were to just run away? How could you know I went to Naruto?" She asked.

"We would go to him first. Whether you were there or not he would die. You told him to take the money to save his life and running away would only get him killed. You have no say in this, you will always stay here or I will personally kill that blonde brat."

With that the guard left, taking the lamp with him. She curled up in her bed, pulling her legs in and hugging herself. The soft bed sank deep and made the perfect nest for her self-pity. She couldn't do anything regarding her freedom without endangering her family. They had already won and there was hardly even any fight.

When something is bought they are taken from the owner but the value is replaced with money. But as the merchandise Koto just felt… stolen. She was taken from Naruto and her freedom was stolen from her. Sell and Buy are give and take and most of the time is equivalent. But there was nothing equivalent in this because Sasuke was the only one gaining anything.


End file.
